


The Royal Curse

by bluecoffeemugs



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Alternative Universe - Kingdom, Bill Cipher Being Bill Cipher, Bill Cipher is a Jerk, BillDip, Curses, Dipper Pines is stubborn, Eventual Fluff, How Do I Tag, Human Bill Cipher, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I mean like really stubborn, I'm Bad At Tagging, I'm gonna stop here, King Bill Cipher, Kings & Queens, M/M, Magic Dipper Pines, Manipulative Bill Cipher, Older Dipper Pines, Possessive Bill Cipher, Possible mabifica, Prince Bill Cipher, Protective Bill Cipher, Royalty, Witch Curses, Witches, and Bill likes that, but maybe, not too much tho, possible eventual gore or violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-15
Updated: 2021-01-20
Packaged: 2021-01-31 13:16:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 18,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21446809
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluecoffeemugs/pseuds/bluecoffeemugs
Summary: The kingdom of Gravity Falls was almost like any other, just a tiny bit more peculiar. However, the folk was either totally oblivious to this weirdness, or completely used to it. This kingdom was ruled by none other than the royal family of the Ciphers. Oddly, whenever Gravity Falls's King turns thirty eight years old, he dies mysteriously. Prince Bill Cipher is the next Cipher on the line, as his father just recently died, and he will not rest until he knows the truth about his family.On the other side of the castle's walls, however, the kingdom has a few mages, one of whom is just now learning about enchantments and has a particular interest in dark magic; Dipper Pines.Once upon a time, Prince Bill Cipher and Dipper Pines crossed paths...
Relationships: Bill Cipher & Dipper Pines, Bill Cipher/Dipper Pines
Comments: 57
Kudos: 253





	1. Chapter 1

The kingdom of Gravity Falls was almost like any other, just a tiny bit more peculiar. However, the folk was either totally oblivious to this weirdness, or completely used to it. There were families of mages and witches, lurking in the shadows, or more realistically speaking, living amongst everyone else and blending in. Nonetheless, this secretive group of people had to forcefully be careful about revealing their identities, as being a witch was punished with the gallows.

There were also two or three elves, four or five dwarfs, and it’s likely that some other species too. As for them, they went completely unnoticed by everyone else in the kingdom, for their features were not too difficult to hide or lie about, and their existence was not penalized.

The kingdom was ruled by none other than the royal family of the Ciphers. They were one of the most powerful royals in the world, almost no one dared to cross their path. Rumors spread worldwide that the family had a never-ending legacy of psychopaths. Manipulative, egocentric, narcissistic, highly ambitious, and mildly sadistic, very powerful people. Their kingdom respected them entirely, torn apart between being grateful or afraid of them. Most probably, a little bit of both.

As for now, a young brunet man was rushing through the woods, in search of something that seemed to be of much importance. His mind was clouded with flashing thoughts, strong emotions. He had to find it, and fast. His sister needed it.

The specific tree root he was looking for was nowhere to be found. He had been sprinting through the woods for what seemed to be an hour. He swore the very tree he had been searching for was right there, but now it wasn’t. He would need to look for another one then.

After a few more urged gazes at the various trees around him, he finally saw a tree that looked exactly like the one he remembers. It was a perfect substitute.

He hurried towards it and began to dig a small hole right below its trunk with his hands, there was no time to look for something to help him do the job.

When he finally found a good enough root he tore it out. Time to run back.

And he ran, or at least he tried to. He immediately crashed on to someone who was also not paying attention to his surroundings.

“Watch were you’re going, idiot!” The brunet snapped, not even glancing at the blond man who was staring at him with disgust, as he was too distracted looking for the root he had just dropped by accident.

“It appears to me,” the blond man said, “the only idiot here is wearing old rags and filth is covering his hands.”

“You should be careful what comes out of that mouth,” the brunet replied angrily, grabbing the root from the floor and finally looking up.

The tall blond man was staring at him with half-lidded eyes and a smug smile was starting to creep into his face. However, what made the brunet’s blood run cold was noticing the royalty’s symbol on his very elegant clothes. He immediately got on both of his knees and lowered his head. Shit.

“Please forgive me, your majesty,” the brunet pleaded, “what I said was outrageous, I am terribly ashamed.”

“Stand up,” the prince demanded in a cold tone, “State your business here, so close to my castle.”

The brunet looked around, eyes wide. He hadn’t noticed he was about to trespass the royal grounds.

“I was looking for this root,” the brunet replied, voice shaking, showing the object in his hand, “it’s the key ingredient for an antidote.”

“Who is in the need of said antidote, and what does it cure?” the other asked, quite interested.

“My sister. And it can cure any poison if used correctly.”

“What is your name?” the prince questioned, dismissing the brunet’s response.

“Dipper Pines,” the brunet replied, refusing to look at the other’s eyes.

“Tell me, Mr. Pines, how do you know all this?” the blond continued to ask. Dipper was beginning to feel annoyed, he didn’t have any time to deal with this, but he couldn’t risk giving the royalty another reason to hate him.

“I’m an apothecary,” Dipper said quickly, hoping his interrogation was over.

“But that is not all you are, is it?” the prince said, making Dipper’s back hairs stand.

“What do you mean, your majesty?” Dipper asked innocently, hoping it was just a false alarm.

“How much of a fool do you think I am?” the blond said with a laugh.

“No, your majesty, the complete opposite!” Dipper said hurriedly.

“You can quit the act, Pines, I know what this amulet means,” he proceeded to reach out for the necklace that was hanging from the brunet’s neck. It had a golden six-fingered hand talisman.

It wasn’t supposed to ever be seen, but it had slipped out from under Dipper’s shirt when he dug out the root. He swallowed, closing his eyes.

“You’re a mage,” the prince said, letting go of the golden amulet, “you know, it’s really hard to find your species. Thank you for making it easy for me.” He smiled at Dipper, making the other feel so lightheaded he thought he was about to pass out.

“The rope would look stunning around your neck,” the blond said as he slid his finger across Dipper’s throat slowly, pronouncing each word with a tone that made Dipper’s knees tremble.

If the brunet thought had felt sick before, he was about to have a stroke right then.

“However,” the prince said, fully aware of the effect of his threats on the other, “I was just seeking for an... _apothecary_. You may result of great use in the castle just now.”

“In the castle?” Dipper asked, finally looking at the blond in the eye.

The prince smirked, “Yes, you could consider yourself my new servant.”

“With all due respect, your majesty,” Dipper began, offended, “but I am no servant.”

The prince seemed to be pleased by the other’s bravery, not everyone dared to talk to a royal like that, much less someone who was already threatened for his life.

“I admire your guts, Mr. Pines,” the tall man replied with a cold laugh, “I’ll expect your presence in my castle tomorrow, at this time.”

Dipper was about to complain, but the prince continued to talk before he had the chance to, “Do _not_ make me wait.”

And with that, he turned on his heel and headed back to his castle, head held high, leaving a perplexed brunet behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I hope you like this new fic I'm working on!! I've had the idea stuck in my head for quite a few months now and I couldn't wait any longer to post it. Winter vacations are almost here, so I will have much more time to update now!! 
> 
> I am still working on Golden Giant (my other billdip fanfic, go read it btw!), don't panic. I'm just going through a small writer's block, so I decided to write this new work to get my creativity flow back on its track. 
> 
> I really hope you like this new work and are interested enough to keep on reading it!! Please let me know what you think, your comments are always more than welcome.


	2. Chapter 2

Stan being mad at Dipper was an understatement. Let alone the fact that he had exposed his whole family’s legacy of mages, he had exposed them to a _royal_. 

At least Mabel was doing better now. However, Stan had insisted Dipper to keep what had happened to him a secret for now, as they both knew Mabel would instantly blame herself for it. _It was because of me that Dipper had to go look for the root, _she would say, _so it was my fault_. But Stan and Dipper both knew it was all because of Dipper’s bad temper and terrible timing. 

All Dipper could do now was fix his mess, on his own.

He was walking toward the Cipher’s Castle, at the time accorded, wearing the best clothes he could find on his wardrobe.

He stood in front of the polished black royal gates, which had two tough-looking armed guards beside them, and another two lookouts on the towers above them.

“State your business in the royal castle!” One of the guards demanded, making Dipper switch his attention to him.

“I’m here to see your majesty, Prince William Cipher,” the brunet said with the steadiest voice he could manage.

“Full name,” the other royal guard asked, although it sounded more like a statement than a question.

“Dipper Pines,” he answered, hoping the interrogation was finished.

The guards looked at each other, nodded, then opened the gates. Dipper walked inside, admiring the view to the castle in front of him. He had never been so close, he hadn’t noticed half the details he was looking at in that very moment.

“Follow me,” said a man that seemed to appear out of nowhere. Apparently, Dipper had been consumed in thought. Nonetheless, he followed the mysterious man.

He was wearing fancy-looking clothes that looked almost like the ones the guards were wearing, however, this man was just armed with one sword hanging from the side of his belt, and he didn’t have a silver helmet over his head. 

The mysterious-looking man in front of the brunet was wearing black trousers along with long black boots, and a medium-length navy blue coat draped over his black vest. The coat had golden accents on the sides, over the shoulders, and on the wrists, with the Cipher’s family shield beautifully embroidered in gold on the left side of the chest. The family’s shield, as weird and complicated as it could be, Dipper only ever noticed the eye that was placed on the very middle of it, on what appeared to be a bricked pyramid.

The man led Dipper to an entrance door to the castle, although it wasn’t the huge, main entrance door he had been hoping he would walk through.

“Prince Bill has left you some clean clothes for you to wear,” the man announced, “not before you take a shower, of course.” 

Dipper’s face immediately started boiling with indignation. 

The _audacity _the prince had to ask him not only to change but also to _shower _before he could even take a look at him made his jaw clench.

And also, Prince _Bill _? Did his nobility have a nickname for him?

The brunet breathed in and out heavily. Then thought about the positive things the prince’s request had because according to Mabel, that would help Dipper avoid getting angry at the only slightly inconvenient circumstances.

_ I now have fresh, new clothes, _Dipper thought to himself as he took the folded clothes that the man was holding up to him. _I will have a nice, long bath, _ he continued to think to stop himself from snapping at the man as he led him through a hallway up to a bathroom. _A__nd I will leave the bathroom as such a mess, it will take at least three of these fancy men to clean up properly. _

Dipper went inside the bathroom and the door was instantly closed behind him. 

The bathroom was the size of his bedroom. Its walls were made of a beautiful black stone that had golden accent lines here and there. He also noticed the room had only one, large bathtub, besides the toilet and the sink. This meant, the fancy man hadn’t led him to the service’s bathroom, this was a _ guest _ bathroom. 

Dipper’s anger decreased slightly, as this could’ve been much worse, much more diminishing. Maybe he wasn’t going to make a mess of the bathroom after all.

He took his time to look around the bathroom, opening the cabinets below the white sink, observing the chandelier’s small candles flicker, and looking at himself in the mirror. He doesn’t remember the last time he had seen himself with such clarity. He was able to see his reflection on a river, but that was as good as it could get, as all the mirrors his family owned were somehow shattered, or too stained to be usable. 

He was skinnier than realized. His oak brown hair was standing in different directions, filled with tiny knots, and his pale skin made his deep brown eyes stand out even more. He forgot how unsettling it was to look at oneself, as the figure standing in front of him was almost unrecognizable. 

Finally, Dipper decided to open de faucet on the tub. 

He thought the water was going to be cold, as the kingdom wasn’t exactly a sunny place and the weather was almost always chilly. But he was proven wrong right when his hand graced the water. Dipper was immediately intrigued by the boiling system the castle had. 

An involuntary smile formed on his lips. He quickly stripped his clothes and got inside the tub. It had been years since he had a hot bath, he had grown used to icy cold water run down his body. Oh boy, was he enjoying this bath. 

He poured in the water a great amount of whatever soap was placed beside the tub, which smelt like powerful mint, then poured some of it over his head as well. He massaged his scalp with such joy he closed his eyes in pure pleasure. He rubbed at his skin, not leaving one inch untouched. 

He then closed the faucet, leaving him in silence. 

He played with the water, then rested for a while. His whole body laid underwater, all but his head, as he rested it gently at the border of the white tub. He dozed off for a couple of minutes, he doesn’t remember the last time he felt this calm.

Hesitantly, he took the tub’s plug out, draining all the water. He immediately regretted his decision. But he had come to the castle to talk to the prince, and he wasn’t about to test his patience.

He stepped out of the tub, wrapping himself in a black towel, and proceeded to dry his skin and hair of any remaining wetness with it. 

Then, he unfolded the clothes the other man had given him, only to drop his jaw and exclaim, “You’ve got to be _kidding me.” _

The man had handed a set of the exact same fancy clothes he was wearing, only that Dipper didn’t get a coat, which was the only tolerable piece of clothing the castle’s crew had, according to the brunet of course. And obviously, he wasn’t given a sword-holding belt nor a sword.

He put on the black trousers, which fit him two sizes too big, then the white shirt and black vest with the golden family shield which fitted almost fine, and finally, the boots, which were one size too small. 

He looked at himself in the mirror. His skin did look a lot better, and the clothes looked great on him, as much as he didn’t want to admit it. However, the fact that his pants were too big for him made him need to clutch them to keep them in their place, and the small boots were very uncomfortable. Other than that, he didn’t look as horrible as he thought he would.

After folding his old clothes neatly and placing them neatly beside the tub, he opened the bathroom door and stepped out. 

The fancy man was standing right beside the door, making Dipper jump in surprise. Had he been standing there all along?

“Better hurry,” the fancy man said as he began to walk, “the prince waits for you, Mr. Pines.” And Dipper quickly began to follow the man. Their rushed footsteps echoing around the castle.

The brunet looked around him, admiring the tall, white walls with golden fringes and high, adorned ceilings. They passed a few hallways, doors, stairs, and open rooms, most to which had guards beside the entrances. 

Soon enough, however, the pair reached a large room that had a wide window right at the very end of it, framed with luxurious red silk curtains. The walls beside them had huge paintings, with elegant matching red couches below them. Three big chandeliers hung from the ceiling, illuminating the large room.

At the very end of the room, in front of the huge window, was an extravagant red chair looking outwards. 

“Took you long enough, Mr. Pines,” said a strong voice the brunet recognized.

The fancy man did a small reverence to Dipper, turned on his heel and rushed out of the room.

“I lost track of time, your majesty,” replied Dipper as he stepped closer to the red chair, not at all concerned.

“Enjoyed the bath, I suppose,” the blond prince teased, Dipper could picture the smile he had on his face just by his voice tone.

“The clothes are terrible,” Dipper said bluntly, trying to erase the smile from the prince’s lips.

With that statement, the red chair turned toward his direction, as it could apparently do. 

“I think you look great in them,” the prince continued to tease as he stood up, “you might as well start to get used to them.”

Dipper stared at him in confusion, which only made the blond’s smile enlarge.

“Alexander will be sure to show you your new room,” the prince stated, and Dipper guessed he was referring to the fancy man.

“Pardon?” The brunet began, “Your majesty, I am not staying here.”

“I thought I was very clear with my wishes yesterday, Mr. Pines,” the blond said as he took a step closer to the brunet, then looking at the painting right beside them, “but I ought not to force you to do something you don’t desire.”

The last statement confused Dipper, but only because the blond hadn’t finished speaking just yet, as he continued, “Alexander may happily take you to the gallows tomorrow morning instead,” he smirked and looked back at Dipper, “as well as for your dear sister, whom I will be so happy to meet as well.”

Dipper’s jaw clenched, he wanted to yell at him for threatening Mabel’s life. Looking at the pair of mocking, amber eyes with disgust, he said in between gritted teeth, “I suppose I shall to stay, then.”

“Marvelous!” the prince exclaimed with what appeared to be a fake warm smile as if he hadn’t just threatened to kill two innocent lives.

Then, the blond snapped his fingers and the fancy man, or well, Alexander, was back in the room. The prince explained briefly to the man that he had to show Dipper his new room, also giving him a quick tour of the castle along the way, because he would not tolerate, under any circumstances, Dipper being late at any of their appointments or meetings due to getting lost, as the brunet was soon not to be followed around by any guard or servant. 

Alexander nodded at the blond, then signaled the brunet to follow him, but Dipper didn’t move an inch.

“The trousers and the boots don’t fit me, _your majesty_,” Dipper said, adding a bitter tone to the last two words.

“A tailor will be sure to attend your needs shortly,” the blond said, seemingly unbothered by the brunet’s nerve, which only caused the other to huff and follow the Alexander, shaking his head in disbelief.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone!  
It took me a while to get this chapter done, and it is quite still the setting of the scenery and the characters, so have patience!! I am also sure that a lot of questions might be coming into your mind, but i assure you, they will be answered in the next chapters. I am working very hard on figuring out the plot and the character arcs. I really want this fic and AU to be intriguing and enjoyable.
> 
> Be sure to comment!! I love to read all of your thoughts and opinions. Until next update!


	3. Chapter 3

Dipper arrived to his new room, and he hated to accept that it was quite admirable. Prince _Bill —_apparently that was what his servants and nobility called him— had placed him up on one of the castle’s topmost towers, which made Dipper question if he had decided to put him so far up to torture his legs and terrible physical condition. But, oh well, it was completely worth it, for his room was almost bigger than his entire house, and absolutely more luxurious and beautiful.

It was circle-shaped, with a great, round, carpet placed right in the middle. And it appeared as if the Prince knew exactly what Dipper’s favorite color was, because the carpet, the curtains, and some other decorations were royal blue, adorned with silver accents. Or, maybe those were just the colors the Prince used to identify whomever was beneath him. Dipper didn’t give it too much importance anyway.

There was a queen bed at the left side of the room, and on the opposite, a huge, empty bookshelf, which’s presence confused the brunet. There was also a big, wide, wooden desk beside the bookshelf, close to the far-most wall, the wall that had a huge window. And right in front of it, stood a telescope.

Why did the Prince dedicate so much effort in making Dipper feel at home in his castle? Did he actually care about how Dipper felt?

No, he most likely didn’t.

And Dipper didn’t care either.

He had to remember that the Prince had just bought him as if he were cattle. He had threatened to kill him and his entire family; with a smile plastered on his face. He did not give a single fuck about who Dipper was as a person, he only saw him as an object. A magical and probably wise object that he needed on his side for god knows what sort of dirty work. Well, of course he gave him a luxurious room, so perfect Dipper could not ever complain about it! It was all just part of his trick. The Prince wanted him to be happy and grateful and _blind. _Blind about the terrible person he actually was. The ruthless, narcissistic “blue-blooded” royal, whom the only person he ever cared about was himself.

Or at least that’s what Dipper knew about the Ciphers. And he was almost entirely sure that _this_ Cipher was just as terrible as the other kings Gravity Falls had been ruled by. Prince Bill Cipher was manipulating Dipper, just like he had manipulated every other soul who entered his castle.

But little did the Prince know, Dipper was able to spot a liar, a manipulator, and a deceiver, almost as greatly as he did all those things himself. It was not going to be effortless for the Prince to handle this mage, just as easily as any other one of his many puppets.

Three knocks on the door interrupted his thoughts.

“Come in,” Dipper said quickly, trying not to sound agitated by the sudden scare.

“I’m the tailor,” the man who came into the room said calmly, “Prince Bill said your clothes didn’t quite fit. Not to worry, they’ll fit perfectly in a bit.”

The fancy bald man proceeded to fix Dipper’s clothes fit better, and he also took the size of his foot and told him he was going to make him a pair that would “fit like gloves”, which would be an entirely new sensation for Dipper, who had settled his whole life for shoes that were _just perfect_ if they had soles.

The truth was, the clothes didn’t actually bother him. He had learned how to make them fit if they were too big or too small, and in a matter of minutes, he would grow used to the discomfort.

So a pair of shoes that were made just for his feet, and clothes that were tailored just for his body, was already too much to ask. He had told the Prince about it just to bug him, but apparently it wasn’t even the tiniest of bothers.

Now he knew two things: one, he had to think harder about things that would show the Prince his displeasure about staying in the castle. And two, he could ask for _anything he wanted_, and he would have it handed to him on a silver platter.

Moments later, the tailor walked out of the room and closed the door behind him. Dipper absentmindedly walked around his new room.

It didn’t smell like old, wet wood, like his old home, yet this new smell was too different to pinpoint now. It was fresh, but old; a different type of old. The type that smells like wisdom and history. He closed his eyes and breathed in.

This room was ancient. There had been so many people who had lived inside those walls. People who had given their first and last breaths there. The scent of male “blue-blood” lingered. It smelled so much different from a woman’s blood. Males' was way heavier, filled with rage. Dipper could taste the amount of metal in those men’s blood. Cipher’s legacy smelled so peculiar, he could taste it from yards away if he concentrated properly. And this room was filled of it, as if the walls were splatted with their blood. So many Ciphers had walked inside this room, it was impossible to concentrate only in one of them.

Although, Dipper could not only taste the Cipher’s family tree, he was certain there was something else hidden in between those branches. Something much more powerful and heavy than rage.

He furrowed his brows, eyes still closed. He walked closer to one of the walls, gracing it with his fingers. He slowly touched different spots of the wall, beginning to walk in a circle. He unconsciously placed his face right on the wall, closing his eyes tighter. He could hear something, although it was barely audible. It was as if the wall had a heart, and it was slowly beating; and they got louder by the second.

Dipper breathed in, feeling as if the wall’s heart got closer to him. He felt its pain, as if it were mourning. He could now taste the metal of the blood, with an unmistakable salt coming from tears. But who’s?

The beats got closer and more deafening. They were crying out, echoing in Dipper’s mind. Melancholy and suffering drowning his thoughts. How was it possible for someone to feel this amount of hurt and not die?

“Mr. Pines?” said a rushed voice.

Dipper came back to reality with a gasp, noticing Alexander and two other fancy men hurrying into his room.

He was laying on the floor, his body still close to the wall. And only now did he realize his face was wet from tears, and his jaw felt tired.

“Are you all right, sir?” Alexander asked concerned, calmly walking towards Dipper, a hand on his sword. “We heard your screams,” they must’ve thought he had been attacked, “you sounded quite in pain.”

After Dipper finished catching his breath, he stood up and fixed his attire. “Yes, I am all right, thank you. I’m sorry I disturbed you, it wasn’t my intention.”

Alexander and the other two guards looked puzzled. They thought Dipper was going to give them a better explanation —as he should have— but after a full minute of silence, they got the idea that they weren’t going to get one.

They walked out of the room, still confused, but right before Alexander closed the door he said, “Dinner will be served in an hour, I will be here to escort you then.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh hi hello! :D 
> 
> Thank you very much for reading, I hope you're getting hooked on the story so far. I'm trying a more mystery oriented fic now, less action and more suspense, compared to Golden Giant. I am quite enjoying writing this one, even if this chapter did not involve any Dipper-Bill interaction. Hope you guys are patient, I swear these story has so much potential, I have been thinking about it for ages. I just need to write it all down and perfect it. 
> 
> Hope you're doing okay during these troubled times, just hang in there. Hope new chapters will come soon. Believe me when I say I will not abandon this fic. And, as always, remember to comment and tell me what you think, I love to read your opinions. See you guys soon!!


	4. Chapter 4

An hour flew by fast, as Dipper spent most of it pondering about what he had just felt. He had always been able to feel what had happened in certain places, as if the events that happened there scarred the walls as if they were skin. But he was certain he had never felt so connected to a room before, and much less had he ever been able to feel such a great amount of despair — neither from any other place nor in his personal life — so unbelievably heavy, that it felt as if it had stained his soul with black ink.

Dipper had just properly regained his posture when he heard a knock on the door, which only meant dinner was ready. He walked out of the room, trying not to look at Alexander in the eyes for too long, as he was still slightly embarrassed for screaming so loudly an hour ago. The castle had gotten much dimmer, as the sun had already set behind the mountains. It had also gotten a lot colder. The candles’ flames on each lamp and chandelier elegantly danced to the swift, cold air currents they created as they walked past.

He didn’t know what he was expecting about dinner, but he was sure that any sort of food would be fine, as he was all too used to eating whatever was edible. He glanced around the castle, starting to memorize which hallways led to where, as he very well remembered Prince Bill telling him that was something he needed to get done; the sooner the better. However, Dipper wasn’t just memorizing the castle’s walls because the prince ordered him to, it was more because he didn’t like the idea of being followed around, and everyone on the staff knowing his whereabouts. He was obviously not planning on doing anything worthy of hiding —and he was sure the guards would still keep an eye on him— but Dipper hated feeling watched. Knowing that people were following him and watching his every move made him pretty uncomfortable.

He shivered away from the thought as they arrived in the dining room. He had just caught a glimpse of a long, oak table, and a very high ceiling, in which an unusually elegant chandelier was hanging, when Alexander’s arm shut upward signaling him to stop, making Dipper halt so abruptly his chest almost collided with the other man’s arm.

Puzzled, Dipper was about to ask what happened when he heard Alexander say: “The kitchen’s this way,” as he led the way through a narrow corridor on the right from the door. It was a little darker than the other hallways, as there were fewer lamps and no windows. “We normally don’t walk into the dining room through those doors,” the fancy man continued to speak, Dipper following closely behind, “unless the prince orders otherwise. The staff’s dining room is in the kitchen. You’ll see.”

A moment later, they entered a new set of oak doors, much less elegant than others in the castle. Dipper guessed that it was because no one went inside the kitchen if they weren’t from the cooks, the guards, the servants, and other royal workers. The moment they went inside, Dipper was welcomed with so much light and warmth that it felt most unusual coming from this particular dark castle. The kitchen was huge, much bigger than what he had imagined, as it wasn’t only a kitchen and food cabinets, it was also a great dining room, at least four long tables were set. It looked like the staff’s headquarters, and it most probably was.

Dipper hadn’t realized he had been staring, aghast, and at least a hundred people were staring back at him. The people inside the kitchen looked stern, women, men, and even some children; all their faces could almost be confused with stone. When Dipper finally noticed, he turned pink with embarrassment. It was so odd to Dipper that these people would look so hostile in a place with such warmth.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” Alexander spoke to overcome the silence, “please welcome Dipper Pines, the apothecary!”

The cold faces stared at Dipper, and if he was already pink, he could swear he was getting red. He felt unbelievably uncomfortable, he pressed his lips and tried to wave his hand, which ended up being way more awkward move than he had planned.

And then something weird happened. Everyone exploded in laughter.

First Dipper felt even more embarrassed and out of place because he was sure they were laughing at him and his awkwardness. But when his eyes looked around, it didn’t seem to be a mocking-kind of laughter, it felt strangely cheerful. He started to see the smiles, some people were bending over from the laughter, some high-pitched child giggles were starting to run around the kitchen, men looked at each other with smiles on their faces and placed their arms around each other’s shoulders. Dipper started to smile himself!

“Welcome, _Dipper the apothecary!” _One of the men in uniform cheered, and some others followed his chant. Alexander slightly pushed Dipper forward, so that he could be properly greeted by everyone. And just like that everyone started to pat Dipper in the back, giving him warm smiles, saying “_we really got you didn’t we?” _and _“the scare’s become a tradition whenever someone new joins the staff” _and “_sorry about that mate” _and “_what a laugh, I can’t remember the last time someone new came around” _and “_the last one was probably Gonzales” _another voice replied, then “_It wasn’t me, you fool! I’ve been here for five years” _and last “_that’s what I mean, idiot! It’s been long since someone new came around.”_

After a long round of conversation and laughter, which Dipper enjoyed very much even though hedidn’t know anyone there — it felt nice, he thought, to be surrounded by such good people — there was silence. Or well, as silent as it could be in a crowded, _family_ dinner.

Dinner was served in a different way Dipper had imagined. There were so many different pots and pans to choose from, they were placed in the stoves and chopping tables as if it were a buffet.

When Dipper finished choosing his food — a perfectly gold omelet and a piece of buttered bread that looked too delicious to not grab from the basket — it was time to decide where to sit. The three tables were crowded, they were mostly filled with mothers and their children, some men were accompanying them and sitting right beside them, trying to help them settle down their children. Other people were sitting at the table as well, deep in conversation, but there were also plenty of others standing up with drinks in their hands, laughing, some even sitting in counters. Dipper didn’t know what to do. The only man he recognized amongst all of the new faces was Alexander, and he was nowhere to be found.

He gazed around, walked slowly, trying to figure out where to sit or stand, when suddenly, a woman exclaimed, “Mr. Pines! Care to sit with us?”

Dipper turned around, looking for the place where the voice had come from. A woman with hazel hair tied in a bun was raising her hand, waving at him to come closer. There was a vacant seat right across from her. When Dipper sat down, he noticed that besides the friendly woman, two happy children were staring at him.

“Mommy, what’s an _Apofe Carry?”_ The little boy asked bluntly, looking at his mom and Dipper.

“Why don’t you ask Mr. Pines?” She replied warmly, and the boy redirected his question to the brunet in front of him without any bother, and said: “Mr. Pines, what’s an _ApofeCarry_?”

“An _apothecary,_” Dipper began, not noticing his tone became warmer and simpler as he talked to a child, “is a person who specializes in making medicines, and other different substances or creams, to cure people or help them in different ways.”

“Ooohh!” The boy exclaimed, excited, “So, you’re like, a doctor?”

“You could say it’s something like that,” Dipper said, thinking about how he could explain the difference to a little boy like him, “the difference is I _make_ the medicines and _sometimes_ apply them," he decided to say, trying to closely emphasize some of the words to make the boy understand better, "while the doctors _treat the ill_ and _give_ them the medicines I make.”

“Woah, that’s way neater than being a doctor!” The little boy added shamelessly.

“George, don’t let Doctor Monroe hear you, he’s right behind you,” her mother added, slightly embarrassed.

“No, I quite agree,” a man beside Dipper said, barging into the conversation, “being an apothecary sounds way more interesting.”

“Maybe that’s just because there aren’t so many of us,” Dipper said, not wanting to take pride and ignore the doctors’ hard work, “doctors save so many more lives, no doubt.”

“Perhaps,” the man said thoughtfully, “but without apothecaries, there would not be medicines.”

“That’s probably only half right,” Dipper said before he could stop himself, “plenty of doctors know how to make medicines nowadays, even if it’s just the most basic ones. Apothecaries know much more about herbs and different or unusual cures. But as they’re so unusual, not many people are in need to use them often.”

“Quite a humble man you are,” the man said frankly, “not wanting to acknowledge your hard work.” He smiled at Dipper and held out his hand, saying, “Name’s John, this is my wife Greta, and those two little piggies there are George and Lily.”

“I thought there were three little piggies in the fable,” Dipper said jokingly, not expecting Greta to rise from her seat and say: “You’re quite right, there are!” Showing off her big round belly. Dipper smiled and congratulated her and her husband.

It was most weird for Dipper to feel so warm and welcomed by so many people. He could almost feel as if they had known them for ages, as if they were family. He had a nice conversation with the family he was seating with, they explained what their jobs were at the castle, Greta was a maid and John was a farmer. Some other people joined in the conversation, and Dipper got to know a bunch of the staff, feeling accepted gladly by what appeared to be a whole new and big family.

Dinner had finished a while ago, many had already retreated for bed, but some others stayed; either to help clean out the kitchen or keep talking with a few drinks in hand.

Dipper definitely felt the need to help out cleaning, but the cooks, who were mostly big and bulky, insisted that he should enjoy his first night at the castle without the need to clean a single plate. Those cooks irradiated father energy to Dipper, as if they genuinely cared for the wellbeing of everyone there, cooking with their best efforts each day and night, bringing delight to every person in the Cipher’s castle.

After giving in to the cooks’ petitions, Dipper decided to take a glass of milk and walk around the kitchen. There was much less noise, now that most of the people had gone to sleep. The conversations that had remained where now reduced to more calm voices, some were even held in whispers. It was nice, Dipper thought, to know that so many good people were living in that castle — or around it — because before he had met any of them, it had felt much more dead than it did now. And even now, surrounded by tranquil voices and almost silence, he felt at peace.

Dipper stood behind a set of great oak doors, which he assumed led to the huge dining room where the royal family ate. He then noticed that the door beside the one he was standing behind had a window in it, which he curiously approached to. He could see someone sitting down at one end of the long table; alone. Dipper closely skimmed the room, but he was rather certain that there was no one else there. The prince had had dinner completely alone. And he was still there, sitting down behind an empty plate, with a cup of what appeared to be wine in one hand. He took a small sip, then set it down again. He seemed to be looking at nothing in particular, as if his gaze was vacant. Dipper couldn’t help but feel… pity.

“It’s an awful sight, isn’t it?” A male voice said behind Dipper, making him jump by the sudden noise. Dipper hadn’t met this man, but he looked older than most, and was wearing the guards’ uniform.

“Does he always eat alone?” Dipper said, looking back at the lonely prince.

“He has been, for the past three months,” the man said, approaching the door’s window as well, “the king’s death was certainly felt around the whole castle grounds. But I can’t imagine how the loss of a father might feel for such a young man like him.”

He had forgotten. The king had just died three nights ago. He must’ve been terribly ill tonot eat at the dining table for months. And he couldn't even think about the amount of grief the prince was going through. The prince hadn't appeared mournful to him in his last two encounters, but now that he was sitting down alone, surrounded by nothing but the darkness of the night around the castle and the candle flames that tried to illuminate the room, he seemed most lonely and somber.

"Prince Bill’s coronation is in within three weeks," the man continued to say, still glancing at the blond royal, "he’s as young as his father had been when he was coronated King of Gravity Falls. He looks just like his father when he was his age.” The man said this with a hint of nostalgia in his voice, and Dipper guessed he had been around to see the deceased king grow up and become the ruler of Gravity Falls. A whole lifetime in the castle, Dipper thought, for this man to have seen more than one king sit down on the throne.

Then, the man added, “Nineteen is certainly still too young to be king.” And once again, Dipper didn’t know what to say.

“Oh, and one more thing, Mr. Pines,” the old guard said after the pitiful silence, “the prince wants to see you in the library at once. I came to escort you there.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow so, I wrote much more than I intended to for this chapter, but oh well. I know there hasn't been much Dipper-Bill interaction yet, but I do feel the need to set the atmosphere of the castle and the people who live in it before actually making these characters know each other better. That's because not only are you, the readers, unfamiliar with the castle and this AU in particular, but we can't forget that /Dipper/ is completely new to the castle and its inhabitants as well. 
> 
> Anyway, the next chapter will be Dipper-Bill interaction only, so buckle up for that. The basic plot of the story will also be stated. Mysterious, mysterious.
> 
> As a side note I wanted to address a few other things (not related to the fanfic, so read at your own accord). I know this is a place for fanfics and you didn't ask me to give my opinion about what is happening right now, mostly in the United States, about the whole BLM movement. However, I wanted to remind everyone reading that not one life is more worthy than another, everyone deserves respect. I know that my readers are from all around of the world -- I myself am not American either -- but I would like you to take your time and reflect about the things that have been happening. It's never too late to change, accept and respect others. (As you're reading a gay fan fiction I dare assume that you're not homophobic, and are probably not racist or sexist either, but if you ever meet someone who is, please take your time to talk to them and correct them if they are being disrespectful! Silence empowers to the oppressor.) Remember that we have all the same worth, not one life has more value than another. We all deserve to be happy!!! 
> 
> Oh yeah and also, happy pride month everyone!!! Please know that you're valid :) I'm sending my love to all of you. Hope everyone's doing alright during this elongated, now 80-dayd, quarantine, and remember to stay safe if you're participating in the protests. See you on next chapter, sorry for the long note. :)


	5. Chapter 5

It came to Dipper’s attention that the library was pretty close to the tower that led to his room. Maybe the prince had arranged his new bedroom to be in that tower so he could have a great amount of privacy — distanced from the rest of the castle’s staff — and he would still be close enough to get to the library and do whatever research he needed for whatever reason the prince needed an apothecary.

Dipper hoped the prince would explain now. He had so many questions.

When the brunet entered the library, he couldn’t help but gasp. It was an enormous room, each wall covered in bookshelves, filled with books of different colors and sizes. As he got close to one of the shelves he noticed that they were also about almost any subject he could think of, and some were even in different ancient languages! Dipper wondered if the Ciphers also employed translators.

The old guard that led Dipper to the library told him that the prince would be coming soon enough, then regarded him with a small smile, nodded, and then left.

Dipper was left alone in paradise.

He circled the room. There were tables, beautifully set up with candles, and other decorations. The place was so huge it needed three big chandeliers to light it entirely. There was also a big window at the far back, although now the outside was almost pitch black, so all the light was coming from only one lit chandelier and a few candles that were lit on a table and around the room.

Dipper noticed that there were also many books, very high up on the wall. He scanned the room and found the spiral stairs that led to the upper part of the library, one placed at either side of the wide window. It seemed that the library had a loft, circling the entire room, and it just made Dipper jump with excitement.

There was just _so much _to read, and _so much_ to learn.

However, his curiosity for the books got interrupted as someone behind him cleared his throat.

Dipper turned and was greeted with a smug-looking prince, his signature half-lidded eyes and smirk plastered on his face. It seemed like the solitary person he had seen eating alone had been someone else. Dipper almost started to question if he had actually seen _this prince_ looking so lonely.

Dipper took an unconscious step back, as the prince had moved closer to him.

“Enjoying your first night so far?” Prince Bill asked, taking one more step closer to the brunet. His face was only dimly lit by the candle lights, “I heard you enjoyed your dinner.”

Dipper wanted to retort, but he couldn’t. He _had_ enjoyed his dinner — and the company—quite a lot, to be honest. But he didn’t want to prove the prince right, he was already so overly proud of himself. So, Dipper decided to stay silent and wait for him to keep speaking.

“As much as I’d love to torture your curiosity and not tell you why you’re here,” the prince said, sighing, “the matter is rather urgent.”

Was someone dying? Because Dipper definitely felt death on those walls, and the prince’s serious tone almost confirmed it. Or was someone dead trying to live again? Because that would also explain the urgency and the death stains.

The prince’s smug look turned almost neutral. And as much as the arrogant expression uneased Dipper, seeing the prince look so stern made him gulp.

Then, the prince nodded and headed toward the right wing of the library, and only then did Dipper notice that there was a narrow corridor, still fully covered in bookshelves and filled with books, that led to another room.

The prince gestured Dipper to sit in one of the elegant armchairs or the couch that were placed beside a fireplace. It was a sort of a small reading room, a window was at the back of the room, and there was a coffee table in the middle that had a few candles, which at the moment were not lit. However, the fireplace was creaking with fire, sending an unbelievable amount of warmth around the room. Dipper hadn’t noticed how cold the castle was until he sat right beside the fire.

Prince Bill did not sit down. He stood across from Dipper, his face buried in the shadows, as only some of his features were lit by the red-orange light coming from the fire.

“My father died three nights ago,” the blond said, voice steady. Dipper was glad the prince was not looking at him in the eye because even if the man did not seem pained in the slightest, his face looked as if it had turned to stone. Nonetheless, Dipper could swear that he saw the prince’s eyes give a glassy shine when the fire roared in a specific direction.

“Might as well seem normal to you, or to everyone else in this _god-forsaken kingdom_,” The prince’s voice lost some of its steadiness when he mentioned his kingdom. As if he somehow resented it. Then he cleared his throat, controlling his anger, and continued, “but I know better.”

Dipper couldn’t do anything more than stare. So he just listened and waited for the other to continue. Finally, the blond looked at him in the eyes.

“For generations, the Cipher’s bloodline has been cursed.”

That made Dipper’s eyes widen.

He knew it.

He had felt it.

And apparently, the prince noticed he ringed a bell inside the mage’s mind, because he stared at him quizzically. However, he decided to let it pass and continue his explanation.

“I have been studying my family tree for as long as I can remember,” The blond said, although there was not a hint of pride in his voice, “my father used to tell me he was sure something was wrong in our family. He never really got to the root of the problem, but he was close.”

The blond looked away again, staring at the fire, and said, “By the time I found out we were cursed, it was too late. My dad was days from dying. _If only I had worked faster._” That last part was muttered between his teeth, but it was just loud enough for Dipper to hear too. It sounded like the prince blamed himself for his father’s death.

“Even if you would’ve known it was a curse, there was hardly anything you could’ve done,” Dipper said as an odd urge to try to comfort the other came over him. However, instead of making the price’s shoulders slump and relax, he seemed even angrier. As if Dipper had just questioned his capability to save his father. And so, Dipper clarified, “Curses so ancient can take years to break.”

The blond’s anger decreased slightly, his eyes darted to the floor, but only for a second. He fixed his posture and regained his stern look, as if he had noticed that his emotions had taken control of him for a moment.

“It came to my attention that this must be a curse,” the prince continued to explain, dismissing Dipper's comment, “because only curses have the ability to be impeccably exact, no matter how many generations it goes through. It never wears down.”

He looked expectantly at Dipper, as if he were hoping Dipper wouldn’t correct him. As if he longed for Dipper to tell him his theory was right and he had solved at least the beginning of the puzzle that had been haunting his family for centuries.

Dipper nodded.

And with that, the prince released a breath he didn’t know he was holding, pride slightly painting over his facial expression and posture. Yet, he still didn’t let his smugness take over his stern look.

“On all the family’s records — which are here in the library on a section that I will later show you — and some of the personal diaries of my ancestors, there is a pattern.” The prince continued, now fully involved in what he was telling. Dipper wondered if he would ever get to see the prince so deep in thought he forgot his own _asshole_ personality. The prince’s voice tone was similar to that of a kid presenting a project, with a hint of doubt and curiosity.

“The mother always dies during labor,” the blond continued, so matter-of-factly that Dipper's thoughts didn't seem to register that none of the Ciphers had ever met their mothers, “giving birth to the one and only heir of the throne. And when the father — the current king of Gravity Falls — turns thirty-eight years old, he suddenly dies. Now, none of these men have ever had any record of illness beforehand. They only begin to have symptoms — chest pain, coughing, muscle, and bone pain — a few months prior to their deaths. Just like my father.”

Dipper digested those words. It was a lot to take in. He had always thought something wrong was happening inside the walls of the castle, but he had never paid much attention to it. No one had ever even mentioned to him how odd it was that there had been different kings in such a short and perfectly equal amount of time. Not even Grunkle Stan. And he was about a hundred years old. Of course, he looked sixty, but he knew his stuff. Most mages, if successful, live up to about a hundred sixty years. To everyone, dying at thirty-eight was dying young, but to Dipper, it was more than young. They were generations of men that never got the time to live properly. And even less if they all knew, with each day that passed, that they were one day closer to their death.

“Everyone says it was a stroke,” the prince continued, finally sitting down on the armchair across Dipper, “but that’s because no medic has ever understood what happened. They always study the patient closely, before and after death. I’ve read most of the records, some ancient, others more recent. And none of the doctors seem to understand what was the real cause of death, so they just discarded it as a heart attack. Because it’s the one thing that seems possible and plausible, but deep down they _know_ that wasn’t it.”

“Did they analyze the body post-mortem?” Dipper asked. Now that the prince was sitting down, he felt a little more comfortable, “As in,_ performed an autopsy_.”

“Most doctors have,” the prince said, not a second of hesitation, “or at least the ones that we have a record of. And all of the bodies have the same casualties. First of all, the men's chests have a black stain on the outside and inside of the body. As if someone had dropped a huge bottle of black ink right above their heart.”

Dipper’s eyes widened, and he inhaled sharply. _The ink_…

The prince ignored his reaction, dismissing it as astonishment, “And that ink stain seemed to leak right through the man’s skin and pierce his heart, because when the forensics cut open the men’s chest and revealed this organ, it was just as dark and smeared as the skin. As if the heart had absorbed this _ink, _and turned into something that could pass as a chunk of old coal.”

There was a moment of silence. Dipper was thinking hard, his brows furrowed.

“I don’t think the heart absorbed the ink coming from the skin,” Dipper said, looking at the prince dead in the eye, and in such a serious tone that the other could only stare, “it was the other way around.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Hoped you enjoyed the chapter!! Some questions were answered, but for each answer, two more questions arose. Oops.
> 
> Hopefully you're feeling the mysterious setting, and now know a little more about the plot of this fic. I am truly loving writing it :D
> 
> Comment and tell me your thoughts and opinions! What questions came to your mind? Do you have any theories yet? Let me know!!! Thank you so much for reading, see you on next chapter :))


	6. Chapter 6

Dipper hardly slept that night.

After his long conversation with the prince, the blond gave him a few of his family’s books — such as diaries, and death records — to read and analyze. The Cipher told him that he was free to wander around the library, but only with the condition that whatever he picked to read was for the sole purpose of solving this deadly issue and breaking the curse.

Then, the prince told Dipper he would be checking up on him regularly, and he expected a breakthrough every time. “Do not force me to search for another mage,” he had told the brunet, “It’d be most inconvenient, as this would all have been a waste of time — of _my_ time. And not to mention how long the hanging ceremonies take. You wouldn’t want that either, would you?” Of course, the threats were back, and the cold treatment as well. It seemed mad to think that Dipper had just had a decent conversation with the same man not even an hour ago. Now he was threatening his life again?

Dipper thought that, as much as the prince was arrogant and distant, it was more like a facade. Sure, maybe a part of it really was his personality, but mostly, Dipper was sure the prince just wanted to assure that the mage would work for him either he wanted or not. The royal was right about one thing, he couldn’t risk wasting any more time. It was one thing to discover the source of the course, and another to figure out the way to break it, but breaking a curse so ancient would be a whole other story. If Dipper’s calculations were right, this prince only had nineteen more years of his life assured, so he can’t afford to wait any longer.

In fewer words, Dipper was almost certain that a part of the prince’s cold personality and preference to be mean was just a mask to cover up how scared he was for his own fate. If the prince’s father had taught him about the course since he was little, then that meant he had always known he would die at thirty-eight. The young prince had not only learned about his unescapable future, but he had also surely been counting the days his father had left with him. What a horrible way to live.

As much as Dipper hated the prince, he couldn’t help but feel sorry for him.

Nonetheless, Dipper thinks that if the prince managed to ask for help more kindly and less threateningly, it’d surely be easier for him to get the help he clearly needed. Not only would people be willing to assist him, but they would also be so emotionally compromised with the prince that they would work as hard as they could to assure the prince safety.

But no such luck, Prince Bill was a rude son of a bitch. No offense to the deceased queen, of course.

However, even if the prince _was_ forcing Dipper — and not even _thanking_ him for the help — he surely was lucky that Dipper was such a curious person. Fine, he’ll admit that a tiny part of him was doing the job to help the prince out, as it truly must be unfair to be killed for a reason you don’t know and can’t prevent. But! Dipper is mostly intrigued by the curse itself.

That was obviously it. Because, why would Dipper want to help someone he didn’t know _and_ was treating him so badly? There shouldn’t be a reason, but curse his empathy.

And besides, the prince didn’t know, but Dipper was way more powerful than he appeared to be. Surely, the prince did intimidate him in some way, but if the brunet ever did feel threatened, he could make the prince’s life much shorter than what the curse had promised him.

Or so he liked to believe… He was still learning.

When Dipper finally arrived at his room, arms filled with books, he sensed something odd once again. Now that he knew about the curse and the mysterious deaths, he could pin-point some of the walls’ emotions.

He closed his eyes after he placed all the books on his desk, and breathed in slowly.

An injustice. Hurt. It felt like something got ripped out from his chest. It was painful, but more agonizing to the soul than to the flesh. The walls were mourning for something lost. The pounding of a heartbeat getting louder had come back. But it pounded with anger, with a will to get revenge.

Dipper’s eyes flew wide open, gasping for breath.

It had begun to rain, thunder roared and water poured down his room’s window. It was odd how the storm had just begun when Dipper sensed the never-ending sadness trapped in the castle. As if the walls had started crying on the inside and commanded the sky to intervene on their behalf.

Yes, it had been perfectly clear it wasn’t fair for the generations of Ciphers to die if they didn’t even know the cause of their wrongdoing, but Dipper was sure about one thing. The curse had been fair once, it had been the deserved consequence for a horrendous act. It had brought justice, that time’s king had paid the price. But it had gotten out of control, the cursespread for longer than it should have. It was not fair anymore, it could no longer be excused. The new Ciphers being born were not even aware of the cause of their misfortune, they didn’t know what to ask forgiveness for. Thus, the curse, instead of being at peace after bringing justice, became insatiable for vengeance.

Dipper steadied his breath and listened to the water drops hitting his window and then sliding down.

“I’ll make things right,” Dipper said to no one in particular, but he felt like there was something there that needed the reassurance.

As tired as he was, however, he couldn’t find his sleep. So he read some of the cases, paying close attention to details. It was until then that Dipper understood why his bookshelves covered almost the entirety of the wall and why his desk was so big. He was more than grateful to have such a great place to make a mess; which is what he considered to be “studying”. He’d give it a week for those shelves to be full.

He took out some parchment he had found in the library and begun his notes, he was eager to uncover the truth.

And with all that eagerness, he didn’t notice when exactly it was that he fell asleep on his desk, until he awoke the next morning. His right hand and arm were almost completely tinted black.

He gasped in horror, but then groaned when he noticed it had been his own fault. He had spilled a whole bottle of ink onto his notes, the books, the records, and himself. His arm was soaked in black liquid, and his left cheek was more than a bit stained.

_Don’t panic,_ Dipper told himself. This has happened to him quite a few times before, so he knew exactly what to do. It wasn’t too hard to fix his… clumsy mistake.

He breathed in slowly, slapping himself mentally— He didn’t want to stain his face more than it already was. He stood up, stretching, and realizing now how sore his whole body was. He made a mental note not to ever sleep on his desk again.

Without bothering to change his inky shirt or clean his face, Dipper walked out of his room. It was pretty early, the birds had only just begun to sing. He noticed a few windows were placed on the ceiling, so there was natural daylight greeting him since he stepped out.

The brunet walked down the stairs, taking his time, as he liked to re-adjust his thoughts in the mornings. He needed to get his mind into thinking straight and process what had happened yesterday. If he didn’t, he’d get confused and discard memories as dreams or claim some dreams were memories.

He did this process every morning, it took him less than a few minutes most of the time, but today it was an exception. He had a really weird and vivid dream, which didn’t happen too often. Of course, he did dream a lot, and most were connected to the place where he was sleeping or the person closest to him, but he wasn’t used to dreaming about places he didn’t know.

To Dipper, it was quite normal to see glimpses of his home’s past owners. For example, he knew his great-grandfather because he’d seen him walking around in his room one night, but then Dipper figured it was the walls' memory of his ghost, as if it were trapped in them and became a part of them. He’d also gotten visions of the future of people he was close to, literally and rhetorically— like with Mabel. Dipper knew about Mabel’s accident before it happened, but his vision hadn’t been so specific. That’s the thing with his… power: the “memories” are so clear and vivid that he mistakes them as his own, and the visions of the future are so blurry and fuzzy that he discards them as a common dream or nightmare; as unimportant.

In Dipper’s dream of Mabel, he had just heard her scream, and a silhouette of her doubling over in pain. When he heard the scream in real life, he knew exactly what it meant: he needed to run. For some reason, it had all clicked in place the second she screamed, it was as if the fog from his dream had magically cleared. So he ran as fast, as he could, in search of the root he was sure would help his sister.

“Mr. Pines?” Dipper snapped back to reality, noticing he had reached the end of the steps and had absentmindedly walked past the guards that were at the foot of the stairs.

“Oh, good morning, Alexander,” Dipper told the confused guard, nodding and continuing to walk away.

“Sir,” Alexander took a few steps closer to the brunet, “is everything alright?”

“Quite,” Dipper replied, only turning slightly to regard the other, “Just walking out for a morning stroll, I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

The guard looked as if he wanted to say something else, maybe tell him he had to stay in his tower or that he couldn’t wander around the castle alone, unsupervised and unarmed. But he backed away. Probably remembering the prince’s commands that Dipper was to walk by himself, or maybe he trusted Dipper enough to let him do whatever he wanted.

It was probably the first one, though.

Dipper walked, remembering exactly where the castle’s side door was. His memory was impeccable, even he didn’t know how he could map places so perfectly in such a short amount of time. He knew at least a fourth of the inside of the castle already, which included the most important things: his room, the kitchen, the library, and an exit. Basically, he knew the only things he needed to know to survive in the Cipher’s fortress.

He had also a pretty good sense of direction of the kingdom itself, including the market center, more than a few of the neighborhoods, his own home, and the woods— which outlined the kingdom and apparently had a clear path from his house to the royal castle.

Finally, Dipper found himself standing outside of the castle. The morning sunrise was beautifully painting the sky pink, and there was an icy breeze hugging him tightly.

He should’ve brought his new coat. And maybe change his clothes while he was at it, he figured that being new in the staff _and_ appearing completely stained black outside of the castle —which was the place where he was least expected to be— earned him more than a few odd looks; which were well-deserved. He sighed. Anyway, he was here now.

Dipper skimmed the grounds, holding his arms tightly against himself as he shivered slightly. He hadn’t noticed how well the crops were doing, there was a huge variety of plants, herbs, flowers, fruits, vegetables… just about anything.

He smiled a little to himself, okay, the first part of his plan was covered. Now he needed to— jackpot.

“Good morning, John!” Dipper exclaimed, getting more weird looks as he said it.

The farmer looked up from what he was doing and squinted at Dipper, asking himself if he had heard right. The moment he realized it was Dipper, who was now walking closer to him, he smiled widely.

“If it isn’t the apothecary!” John laughed, fixing his posture to greet the brunet, “How may I be of your service, Mr. Pines?”

“Oh, you can call me Dipper,” the brunet said. He found it weird that anyone would refer to him as _mister_. He was younger than half the crew.

The other man nodded, so Dipper continued, “Do you happen to grow any daisies?”

John furrowed his brows. Dipper figured he must look like a madman, showing up so early in the morning, covered in black, _outside_ the caste, and asking for a specific type of flower.

The farmer decided not to question him, and replied with, “Daisies are pretty common, we don’t grow them, they grow all over by themselves.”

Dipper breathed out in relief.

“They’re all over,”John repeated, then pointed to a specific place in the lawn, “but right there’s where we’ve got the larges chunk of ‘em.”

“Thanks,” Dipper told the man and started to walk towards the direction the other had pointed.

But before he got too far, the farmer asked him, “D’you need a coat? A blanket or something?”

Dipper turned and smiled, “A blanket would be great, actually.”

The farmer nodded happily and began to walk away, and Dipper parted in the opposite direction.

When he arrived at the daisy-filled patch of grass he smiled down at it and began picking the biggest ones he could find. A few moments later, John returned and handed him a gray-wool blanket that looked too comfortable to be real.

“We don’t mind if you stain it,” John joked, and Dipper guessed he referred to his wife Greta and his kids.

“They’ll come right off, don’t worry,” Dipper said as he took the blanket and his hand immediately left a black print on it, “I’ll return it as good as new.”

John stared at him quizzically, then replied, “You can keep it, Greta’s working on a new blanket at the moment, so we have plenty. Consider this our welcome gift.” He winked at Dipper, kindness in his eyes. The mage couldn’t believe how kind he and his family was.

“Thank you, John,” Dipper said with genuine gratitude as he covered his shoulders and arms with the blanket as a cape. He doesn’t remember the last time someone had been so kind to him, besides his family. The farmer returned the smile and walked away, letting Dipper continue to do whatever he was doing.

It took Dipper a couple of minutes to find the other ingredients he needed, but he was thankful that they were all very common. When he finally gathered all of them, he calmly walked back to the castle. The clouds were less pink and more orange now.

When he returned to the foot of the stairs that lead to his tower, Alexander and the other guard looked as if they’d just seen medusa and had turned into stone. Dipper looked at them in question. Alexander gave him a worried look and Dipper noticed the guard breathed out in relief.

None of them said a word.

By the time Dipper finally stepped into his room, he finally realized what had been wrong with the guards.

“You insolent, small-brained bastard!” The prince exclaimed as Dipper walked in. Dipper breathed in and made a huge effort not to roll his eyes.

“Do you have any idea what you have done?!” The blond continued to yell. Dipper said nothing, walked past the outraged prince and toward his desk, tossing his new blanket to his bed.

“I trusted you these!” He shouted again, referring to the records, diaries, and other books. His anger was starting to upset Dipper too, he hated when people got mad at him, and even more when they got so worked up by something he knew exactly how to fix.

“You don’t trust me in the slightest, don’t act like you do,” Dipper snapped back, but tried to keep his voice polite as he added with a certain hatred, “_your majesty._”

The prince was suddenly taken aback by the response. _How dare he speak back to him?!_

But before he could bark at Dipper again, the brunet spoke, “With all due respect, your majesty, but could you please quit yelling at me for a minute? Everything will be fine.”

The prince breathed in sharply, as if thinking about whether or not he should slap the mage in the face or shut up and wait. He bit back his raging complaint, jaw clenching.

Before him, he could only see Dipper’s back and how he was doing something with his hands. Curious, he stepped a little closer to the other, steadying his breaths. The young mage was doing something with… plants? He was squashing white flower petals and some other weird types of grass and soils.

Also, where did he get those weird-looking instruments he was using to mix all of those things together? The prince looked around the room, there was no way the mage had suddenly conjured up his instruments— oh look, there’s a bag on the bed. The royal had never considered the mage to bring some of his belongings. Had he known he was going to stay in the castle? Or had he guessed he was going to have to do some magic? Most probably the latter.

As the blond didn’t know what the mage was doing on his desk, he decided to walk over to Dipper’s bag and check out what it had inside.

But before he got to open it, the brunet said, “You know that being a prince doesn’t entitle you to look through my things, right, _your majesty_?”

The prince thought about snapping back with a _but it sure gives me the whole authority to send you to the gallows anytime, _or with an _I’m about to become king, _**_your_ **_king, and last time I checked you were serving me, so I have every right to look through whatever I want._

But he restrained himself. He’d let this one pass, but only for this time. He’d get to know every secret the mage could be hiding from him anyway, there was no way the other could avoid it.

The blond walked towards the mage, just in time to hear some ancient words that he had no idea what they meant. And then something incredible happened.

The white-ish substance Dipper had created floated out the bowl at the mage’s will. He used his had to guide the substance to lay and brush over all his notes, books, and records. And it looked as though it was an ink magnet. He then led the liquid to himself, instantly removing all the ink from his hands, arms, and shirt. After that, he walked past the wide-eyed prince and repeated the same process with his blanket. And finally, he returned to his desk and deposited his now gray liquid on a medium-sized vial that looked almost like an ink bottle. The substance swirled around in it, as if the ink were swimming in circles inside the glass vial.

The brunet looked at the dumbfounded prince, a slight smirk on his lips. He had proven the prince wrong _and _proved his power. Even if it was a pretty easy and a little lame spell—magically speaking— he knew the price had never seen anything close to magic before. So, naturally, Dipper was overly-proud of himself.

Soon enough, the prince fixed his posture and the look of his face changed back to his normal coldness. Nevertheless, Dipper could still see the fascination and curiosity in his face.

“Well,” Dipper finally spoke, “now that you’re here, I might as well tell you some of the things I’ve discovered.”

The prince might have not wanted to do it, but his eyes flashed with disbelief. How had the mage discovered something in such a short amount of time? It hadn’t even been a day! However, he tried to look at Dipper as if he had been expecting to get news this quickly.

“I might have a theory for who cast the curse.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! Thanks for reading, I hope you're enjoying the story this far! Be sure to comment and tell me your thoughts and opinions about it, I really love to read them. :D
> 
> This was a much longer chapter than usual (I usually write around 1.5K-2K words, but this one was 3K+ huh. Guess inspiration stroke. Talking about inspiration, this chap took quite a while to get done. Sure, I wrote it in two days, but it took me almost two months to plan. Funnily enough, I never had an actual idea of what was going to happen in it until I began to write. Thankfully now, I do have much a clearer vision as to where this is headed :D
> 
> I really hope you're growing more intrigued with each chapter! Also, 3,000+ words and only 800 of them were bill-dipper interaction... oops. But hey, that means most of the next chap's gonna be only them sO yeah. :))
> 
> Anyway, thanks again for reading the chap and if you reached up until here: for reading my rant hahah. I hope you're doing well during the pandemic, I'm sending a virtual hug.  
See you on the next chapter!


	7. Chapter 7

Before Dipper could begin to tell the prince about his theory, the blond interjected.

“Join me for breakfast,” he said quickly, taking Dipper aback. The prince cleared his throat, as he realized he hadn’t used his authoritarian voice, which had made the statement sound more like a request than an order. He quickly added, “that’s an order.”

Dipper obviously noted how the prince had attempted to save that. Dipper blamed the prince’s excitement for his friendly voice tone, and he knew the prince had immediately tried to correct himself because he didn’t want Dipper to stop treating him like his superior. They were practically the same age, but Dipper was not to forget his place.

Nevertheless, Dipper was still surprised by the odd demand.

The brunet followed the prince out of his room and around the castle, until they reached the west wing, where the kitchens were. However, they went further down, entering a part of the castle Dipper hadn’t seen before. The particular room they went into was cozy, it had a few elegant couches and armchairs, surrounded by great paintings. It looked like a lounge. Further at the back of the room, there was a great picture window, which opened into a beautiful balcony that overlooked the backside of the castle.

Two guards were standing at the end of each side of the great window, and when they saw the prince enter the room, they opened the crystal doors at once. The view was mesmerizing. Dipper hadn’t noticed how much of the kingdom he could see from here. They also had a perfect view of the royal crops and farm, beautiful flower hedges here and there. It was all too wonderful. Dipper didn’t even notice he gasped involuntarily, which made the prince look at him in question. But he didn’t catch that either.

When Dipper finally came to his senses again, he noticed there was a table in the middle of the balcony. The dark-wooden table was only big enough for two people, which intrigued the brunet at first, as everything else around the castle was set for a multitude. It was then that he realized that this table had been probably used only by the royal family, and there have been generations and generations of Ciphers where only two of them are alive at the same time. The king and the queen, then the king and his son, then just the son until he marries, and so on.

The prince sat down at one end of the table and signaled Dipper to sit on the other end. The mage complied.

“Mr. Pines will be having breakfast here as well,” the prince announced to the guards, to which they nodded and one of them rushed out of the room and toward the kitchens.

The prince noticed Dipper was still looking around, apparently, he was still astonished by the view. The blond followed his eyes, trying to see what could the mage possibly be so allured by. The prince saw this view every day, and had been seeing it for nineteen years. He had grown used to it. And maybe he hadn’t ever paid much attention to the beautiful view outside the castle, as he had always been focused on how lugubrious the corners inside looked.

A minute or two passed, the sun began to shine a little brighter, but the prince knew it was only moments before the clouds flooded the sky. Nonetheless, perhaps for the first time, he acknowledged the landscape’s beauty. He breathed in the cold air, and just hoped his father had also acknowledged the delightful view at least once in his lifetime.

Two uniformed servants with large trays appeared; breakfast had arrived. They set omelets before the prince and Dipper, a basket with fresh bread at the center of the table,and a plate with sausage and bacon for each of them. After that, they were greeted with a cup of boiling hot coffee each, and a glass of water.

Dipper’s eyes widened. It all looked and smelled amazing. This was much more food than he could eat. Just by the size of the omelet, he knew that if he ate it whole he’d be full. He had to strategically choose what to eat so he could get a good taste of each of the wonders that were set on the table.

After all of the food was set on the table, Dipper said thank you to the servants. To which the prince replied, “They are just doing their job.”

Right after that, Dipper responded, “Yes, they’re doing it wonderfully. Yet, you never thank them for it.”

The prince wanted to bark back, but he composed himself. He was not going to bite the bait, he was not going to let this mage vanish his level of authority.

And maybe Dipper was also right. The prince had never been taught to show gratitude toward his servants, and he hadn’t ever questioned it. He’d always thought that was how they were supposed to be treated.

Nevertheless, he had never bothered about doing so before and he was not going to bother now.

After a few minutes of eating in silence, Dipper spoke with a hint of sarcasm, “So, to what do I owe the honor of being invited, I mean _obliged, _to have a very much royal breakfast with you,” then quickly added, “_your majesty?_”

“I just cannot bear to be hungry,” the prince replied simply, taking another bite of a crispy bacon strip.

“That explains your terrible mood,” Dipper joked in a lower voice, but still aiming for the prince to hear. He swears he saw a smile at the corner of the prince’s lips for a half-second. Then, it vanished.

“No offense, your majesty, of course.” Dipper quickly continued as he took a piece of bread from the center basket. “I just don’t get called an _insolent small-brained bastard_ with such hatred often, most people just tend to do so with disappointment.”

Now it was evident that the prince tried to hide a laugh, as he immediately reached for his coffee mug to hide his face. Dipper was not at all sure why he had said what he said. Of course, he had always been sarcastic and bold, but he doesn’t know why he felt so comfortable around the prince all of the sudden. Guess the pretty view and the delicious food made him feel much better than the way he had felt earlier.

“Let’s talk about more important matters,” the prince said, “what was it that you wanted to tell me?”

Right.

For a moment Dipper had forgotten the reason why he was there. Not just why he was at the table, but why he was at the Cipher’s castle.

After taking a deep breath, Dipper started from the beginning. He explained to the prince about his odd abilities and dreams. Now that Dipper thought of it, it was a great thing that the prince had just witnessed him working with magic, because he’s sure that if the prince hadn’t seen that, he would have sent him straight to the gallows, taking him for a madman.

After giving the prince a background about his unusual power, Dipper told him about what he had sensed in his room since the first time he had stepped in. Then, he told him about the odd dream he had last night.

“It’s like I am watching someone else’s memories,” Dipper explained, “or as if I were a witness in the scene. I remember only bits and pieces, some appear more like a blur, but the one thing that I can’t get out of my head is a woman’s scream… followed by a baby’s.”

The blond furrowed his brows, clearly unsure about what to think.

“I remember the smell of blood,” Dipper continued. He hadn’t noticed he closed his eyes, trying to concentrate and remember better, “On the bed, there was a woman. I can’t remember her face clearly, but I am sure she was the one who screamed. There were also other figures around the room, three or four more people were with her. During—“

Dipper snapped his eyes open, “During labor.”

The prince widened his eyes too. There’s no way the mage could’ve known—

“For centuries,” the blond explained, his gaze steady in Dipper’s eyes, “that tower’s room has been used as a delivery room. I— I don’t know exactly why, but, that’s just how it has been for years.”

It made perfect sense. The picture cleared inside Dipper’s mind. Immediately, the mage said, “_Your grandson will be just as unhappy as you made me_.”

“Pardon?” The prince asked, taken aback.

Dipper snapped out of the trance and corrected, “That’s what she said, or rather growled, right before she passed away after having the baby.”

“Then one of the figures in the room must have been her father,” the prince replied, catching on quickly.

“Yes,” Dipper confirmed, “Her father, her husband, and probably one or two nurses.”

“That cannot be,” the prince said, knitting his brows together again, “I don’t remember ever reading records or diaries about the father accompanying their daughters during labor.”

“Well, that’s because she’s the one who set the curse!” Dipper said, “No one else has had a parent during labor because their parents passed beforehand, because of the curse!”

“No,” the prince said in a steady tone, as if he had just realized something unbelievable, “it’s not just that. There has never been a daughter having her father’s company during labor, because none of the women who have given birth are Ciphers. The queen’s parents are not in Gravity Falls!”

Dipper was confused, and the prince could tell. So the blond said, “There have always been _male_ heirs! The women have always been the ones who married Ciphers. I don’t remember there ever being a Cipher pureblood woman.”

“Couldn’t that also be part of the curse?” Dipper asked, after he understood what the prince said, “That only males are born to the throne.”

“Perhaps,” the blond said, somewhat absentmindedly “there have been just a few records that I’ve found from before the curse, as it has been going on for so many generations, but I don’t remember ever seeing one about a female Cipher.”

Dipper looked down at his empty plate. The day had gotten a little colder as the grey clouds covered the sun’s beams.

“Let’s look for her in the library,” the prince said at once, standing up abruptly, “or at least, what’s left of her.”

Dipper stood up as well, following the other.

After they reached the library, the prince guided Dipper up to the second-floor loft. Then they reached a huge section, filled with black and brown leather-bound notebooks.

“These are all the records and diaries of Ciphers so far,” the prince explained as he lit one of the candles that were placed beside the bookshelf, “it’s supposed to be ordered in chronological order, that’s why the shelf at the very bottom is almost empty.”

“It’s not here,” Dipper said after he skimmed over the bookshelf, his hand gracing over the books. Without saying anything else, he turned on his heel and started walking toward the stairs.

“Pines!” The prince exclaimed, then cleared his throat, “_Mr. _Pines_. _Where else could it be if not here?”

Dipper didn’t slow down his pace, so the prince couldn’t help but follow. Once in the lower level, Dipper looked around the room, as if the books were telling him where the answer he was looking for lay.

“It’s not in the library,” Dipper explained, “someone hid it away from here.”

“Hide what?”

“Her birth record,” Dipper said, closing his eyes, “and her diary.”

“She also had a diary?”

“That’s possibly where she wrote the curse,” Dipper replied, then started walking out of the library.

“Where are you going?!” The prince asked rushing over to be right beside the mage. He had never been the one to follow, and it certainly felt weird to not be the one who lead. Nonetheless, his heart pounded with excitement.

“I think I know where something might be,” Dipper walked faster. He was not also excited, his curiosity being fed, but he was also in a sort of trance. He feared that if he questioned his intuition, he would lose the trail.

He climbed the tower and reached his room, opening the door in a rush. And it was as if the wooden tiles on the floor glowed in his eyes, particularly the ones under the bed. He ran towards it and started to move the bed away from that particular spot. When the prince arrived, he helped Dipper move the bed without question.

After it was completely out of the way, Dipper kneeled down and examined the wood, feeling it carefully with his hands.

“Hand me my bag!” Dipper exclaimed, without thinking he had just given an order to the future king of Gravity Falls.

However, the prince barely thought about it, he immediately reached over for the mage’s bag and gave it to him. Dipper desperately opened it and took a beautiful silver dagger out. It had a beautiful gem at the handle, and some other silver and gold details the prince couldn’t pay attention too clearly, as Dipper quickly stuck it between two wooden boards, using it as a wedge.

One of the boards came right off, releasing a great amount of dust into the air. Dipper placed his dagger on the ground and used both of his hands to remove the wooden board from the floor. As he thought, there was a hole the size of a drawer where the board had been.

As the bed cast a shadow over the new-found hole, neither the prince nor Dipper were able to see what was inside it. The brunet reached over for his bag again, and with one swift movement, he had lit a match. He muttered some words under his breath, making the flame glow brighter and the match not burn out.

Even if it seemed like the hole was empty, Dipper noticed there was a hex bag in one of the far corners. It was color black and was placed specifically in the one corner that had the heaviest shadow. Without hesitation, Dipper took it out, turned around, and showed it to the prince.

“What is that?” The prince asked, kneeling as well to get a better look at it. He was about to grab it, but Dipper quickly moved it out of the way.

Before the prince could complain, Dipper explained, “_This _is the reason why every queen dies during labor.”

The prince’s eyes widened as he inhaled sharply. He looked at Dipper’s eyes, then at the bag, and then back at Dipper.

“It’s better if you don’t touch it,” Dipper said as he stood up and walked toward his desk, “I, for one, am wearing protection, unlike you. And also, I am not the one who this hex bag is trying to curse.”

“Neither am I,” the prince said, although more like a curious tone than an angry one.

“Even if this hex was aimed for your mom,” Dipper said, looking at the prince with pity, “you were born on this bed, and your wife is meant to die on it as well.” The prince looked down, and it was Dipper’s perfect opportunity to turn around and place the bag on his desk. Then he finished by saying, “You are still cursed by this bag in some way, even if it’s indirectly.”

Dipper lit the candle in his desk with the match he was still holding before putting it out. Then, he carefully opened the hex bag and had a closer look at each of the contents. Most of them had turned to dust as it was so old, only a few animal bones remained. There was also a note, which was difficult to understand as it had different languages incorporated in every sentence. And as Dipper had thought, the hex bag was made to provoke the mothers’ death.

The brunet hadn’t noticed the prince had stepped closer to watch him work, until he spoke, “So what you are saying is, if my mother hadn’t been in this atrocious room… she wouldn’t have died?”

Dipper looked at the prince, then responded, “I’m not sure. The curse might as well have killed the queens later in life if not during childbirth. Because of the complexity I’m sensing in this curse, I doubt the queens would’ve lived long after having their babies.”

“But I could’ve known my mother, couldn’t I?” The prince asked, looking at the contents of the bag.

“If there was no curse at all, then yes.”

The prince’s mourning eyes turned into pure fury. Anger for all that had been taken from him. His mother, his father, his future wife, his future child, _himself_. He didn’t even have control over his own life.

Dipper wanted to reassure him. Tell him that because of him, the future Cipher generations would not be damned. But he just couldn’t.

“Do me a favor,” Dipper said, making the prince steady his breathing, “take this talisman and never take it off.” He took off his necklace of the six-fingered hand and gave it to the prince, “I hardly doubt it will save you from the curse, but at least it will keep any other bad energies and hexes from interfering.” 

The prince’s look softened as he reached for the necklace, and admired it.

“Every mage has one, you got that part right,” Dipper said, watching the blond put it on, “they are made for each mage especially, depending on their… powers and spiritual path, I guess you could say. Not one is the same, but they are all meant for protection.”

The prince continued to beam at the beautiful necklace, only now noticing it had a blue crystal on the back of the golden hand.

“Mine has a blue calcite at the back,” Dipper continued to explain, “which I think fits quite perfectly with me."

“I’m not meant to wear this, I am not a mage,” the prince said, starting to take the necklace off, “this is yours, I can’t take it.”

“Then I guess you’ll have to return it whenever the curse is broken.”

The prince almost gave Dipper a smile, but stopped himself. He merely dropped the talisman over his chest and hid it under his clothes, nodding in understanding.

In the most unintentional way possible, Dipper had just given the prince hope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone, it's been a while! Sorry for the huge delay, hopefully you forgive me with this purely bill-dipper interaction 3k chapter :)) I hope I'm able update sooner next time, as I am finally in my winter break. Thank you so so much for waiting and reading!!
> 
> There's more stuff about the curse revealed in this chapter, I hope it intrigues you even more. Tell me your theories and thoughts in the comments! It always makes my day to know what you think.
> 
> And, quick side-note: even if this story is purely fantastical, there are some things that I try to be as true as I possibly can. For example, the blue calcite's meaning! If you are interested in knowing about why I chose it, be sure to look the crystal up. And tell me what you find and what you think about it!
> 
> [Also, if you don't already, be sure to follow my tumblr @ bluecoffeemugs, as I sometime post announcements about updates and such]
> 
> Once again, thanks for reading. I truly hope you liked this chapter. See you soon!


	8. Chapter 8

Things got worse sooner than Dipper expected.

Suddenly, the prince’s knees buckled. He almost fell to the ground, but he regained his posture quickly. Dipper, taken aback, instantly held out his hands and tried to help the prince to steady himself.

“I don’t need your help,” the blond responded, taking one quick step back before Dipper could get a hold of him, “I just… lost my footing”

Dipper raised a brow.

The prince rolled his eyes and he sighed, “I’m just feeling lightheaded, that’s all.”

Oh no.

“Your majesty, I—” Dipper started, but he didn’t know how to continue. If he was right, there was no time to waste. “Please just stand still, I need to—“

He didn’t even wait to finish that sentence when he took two steps closer to the prince, hands already in the air.

“Excuse me,” Dipper said, and right before his hands landed on the prince’s face he made sure to show concern in his expression, so that maybe the prince wouldn’t jerk backward.

“What are you—“

“—Please, your majesty, just let me—“ Dipper didn’t even finish the last sentence. His theory was confirmed as he gazed closer into the prince’s amber eyes. There were tiny black specks filling the inside of his eyes’ waterline.

It also didn’t help that right when Dipper’s hands touched the other’s face, the blond flinched in pain, furrowing his brows and groaning under his breath. He took an instinctive step back, and his hands immediately went to his forehead.

“What did you do to me?!” The prince asked, pure hatred in his voice.

“You think that was me?!” Dipper spat, anger also filling his chest. It had taken him all his might not to add ‘_you asshole_’ at the end of his sentence.

Dipper sighed, there was no time to fight about this. “Look, there’s no time to explain,” he began, speaking as quickly as he could, “but I’m certain the hex bag had some sort of protection spell against whoever found it.”

“But I didn’t—!“

“—I know you didn’t touch it!" Dipper interrupted, clearly not caring that he had just cut _the prince_ mid-sentence, "But you were in the room and the spell’s… _dust_ kind of like floats around and sticks to whoever’s near.”

“And you were—“

“—Wearing my necklace, yes, but also, I am not a Cipher.”

The prince suddenly groaned in more pain and doubled over.

“Here’s what you’re going to do,” Dipper walked quickly over to his bag and started searching frantically for a specific object, “you can’t walk by yourself, so a guard will escort you to your bedroom.”

All the prince could do was listen. Probably the pain in his head was increasing so much it was getting harder to stay focused. He didn’t question the mage.

“You’re going to start to fill your bathtub with water, as if you were going to take a bath,” Dipper continued, and then he turned, “and while it fills, you’re going to light up this sage and walk around your room and bathroom with it.”

He gave the object to the prince, who observed it in question. So, Dipper decided to say, “It’s going to cleanse the air so your condition doesn’t get any worse, if there _is_ something in your room that wants to make it worse.”

Even as the prince didn’t want to do it on purpose, his eyes filled with worry for a second. And that’s exactly why Dipper didn’t want to mention that if they didn’t counteract this hex _fast_, there was going to be no need to get rid of the curse. Because the prince was going to die beforehand.

“You?” Was all the prince could manage to say, but Dipper knew exactly what he meant.

“I need to go home to get some things to solve this,” Dipper said, already beginning to walk away and towards the door. Although, he did catch the prince’s facial expression, shifting between worry and anger, hesitating to speak and argue with the mage.

“With all due respect, my _dearest prince_,” the mage said, still with a hint of mockery in his tone, even as the situation wasn’t the best to use it, “I’m _going_. Either you let me go, or you can try to keep me here. But I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

Without hesitation, and without waiting for the blond to respond, Dipper opened the door and called one of the guards. He knew the prince’s weakening condition looked bad, so he attempted to seem unconcerned, just so that the guards wouldn’t be too worried.

In an instant, both of the guards were at Dipper’s door, ready to escort the hurting prince to his room. “He isn’t feeling too well,” Dipper had told them, “but I am sure a warm bath will do him just right. As well as some time alone, of course.”

He couldn’t risk anyone seeing the sage. He knew most of the staff would just think it was some of the apothecary’s weird medical incense, but he was not going to put his cover in danger. Even if the prince was the bigger authority and Dipper knew that if he was on his side, no one could touch him… He didn’t want anyone else to know he was a mage. He preferred to stay invisible and untouchable; remain a secret.

Because even if Dipper was protected, he wasn’t going to risk his family paying the price.

Before Dipper ascended the stairs behind the prince, he caught his gaze. Now, it wasn’t worry or anger filling them, it was something else. Something Dipper couldn’t pinpoint exactly in that very moment.

After the mage reached the end of the stairs, and he walked away from the guards and the prince, he ran. He didn’t care the other guards looked at him in question. There was no time. Also, some of the staff started chasing him. Maybe they thought he was fleeing, as they too started yelling at him to stop running.

Dipper though, didn’t stop. He reached the outside grounds, and even more of the staff looked at him weirdly. Some were stunned, others looked scared.

“I need a horse!” Dipper ordered. Immediately, a few of the workers nodded and started sprinting as well, noting the apothecary’s urgency.

“Now, where do you think you’re going?!” One of the guards behind him yelled once he had reached Dipper. “What did you do to the—“

“It’s all right!” Another guard, who was still further behind the other two, also yelled. “The prince approved!”

Dipper thought they were still going to ask him where he was going, but apparently, their place in the hierarchy didn’t allow them to do so. They just nodded and stopped chasing the mage.

Not too long after, someone appeared riding a beautiful black horse.

“This is our strongest and fastest horse,” said the servant as he got off the horse’s back.

“He can’t ride that horse!” Another of the servants said, “That’s the king’s!”

Before the servant that had been riding it could speak, the guard that had been far behind replied, “This was approved by the future king _himself_. It’s an emergency. Mr. Pines has the right to this horse.”

That last part made Dipper gulp. This certainly wasn’t any horse, and the fact that he wasn’t only being granted permission to ride it, he now had the _right_ to it… said a lot about the situation.

When Dipper turned to nod at the guard who had spoken, he noticed it was Alexander. The guard returned the nod and gave him a faint smile, clearly trying to give the new apothecary a boost in confidence.

Without another word, Dipper hopped onto the horse and rode away. By the time he reached the gates, they were already wide open, and so, he was greeted by the forest.

He wasn’t nearly dumb enough to use his shortcuts, as the forest was filled with branches, bulky roots, and fallen trees. There was no way he could ride a horse through this forest without falling over.

Thus, Dipper proceeded to ride through the forest’s mostly clear path, but as fast as his horse could run.

He was amazed by the animal’s agility. Compared to all of the other horses Dipper had ever used in his life — which weren’t a lot, actually — he had never seen anything like this one. It was as if it were a black lightning bolt.

Dipper was home sooner than he realized. Quickly, he dismounted the horse and tied the reins to the nearest tree. Not that he actually needed to, though, as the horse looked like royalty himself too and was about as well-educated as any other member of the guards.

Before Dipper could open the door, someone yanked it open.

“Dipper!” Yelled an overly excited, high-pitched voice as she rushed over to her brother and hugged the air out of him. Mabel was awake.

Although, as much as Dipper wanted to talk to her and ask her how she was doing, he couldn’t take long. If his estimations were right, based on how rapidly the prince’s state worsened before his eyes, he had at most one hour to fix this.

“Glad to see you awake, Mabel,” Dipper said as he squeezed his way out of his sister’s grip and entered their home.

“You seem to be in a rush,” Mabel said as she noticed Dipper’s absent-mindedness and lack of attention. “I was worried about you, are you okay?”

“It’s not me you should be worried about,” Dipper said without thinking as he rushed over to his room, Mabel following closely behind.

“What do you mean?” Mabel asked, not bothering to close the bedroom door behind her, “I felt my talisman heating up. It’s still pretty warm.”

“You felt _what?_” Dipper’s attention was brought back to reality. He finally found a big enough bag where he could fit everything he was going to take back to the castle.

“You know, what my talisman does when you’re in danger,” Mabel explained, surprised that Dipper would forget about it, “it’s always done that, you know about it—“

“Of course I know about it, I just—“ Dipper couldn’t believe it, his brows furrowed, “I’m not wearing my necklace.”

“What?!” Mabel exclaimed, Dipper resumed to look for his magical ingredients and tools, “What do you mean you’re not—“

“—The prince has it.”

Mabel gasped in shock, “That little prick took it from—“

“—I gave it to him, Mabel.”

There was silence for a moment. Dipper continued to fill his bag with various objects, and that was the only noise filling the room. Of course, Mabel didn’t understand. But she didn’t know how or what to ask. So Dipper decided to speak.

“He’s cursed,” he explained as fast and briefly as he could, and he finished to fill his bag, “well, the whole Cipher family, actually. It’s… a terrible thing, and it’s very _unfair_. The Cipher’s bloodline has been cursed for so many generations, that for _ages_ they didn’t even realize they were cursed. It was until prince B— William came along that he discovered a curse is what has been murdering his family one by one. And he’s the next in line.”

Mabel digested his words. The silence was perfect for Dipper, as he was able to check a mental list of all the things he had just packed and make sure he didn’t forget anything. Because if he did, there was not going to be enough time to return for it and help the prince.

And it was going to be Dipper’s fault.

No. He was not going to let it happen. He was not going to let the prince die because of a god-awful curse he didn’t deserve, and neither was he going to be the reason why the prince died sooner than that.

“Mabel, I have to go,” Dipper explained as he started walking to the front door again.

He expected her to tell him he was crazy for going back, but instead, she said, “I trust you.”

With that, he smiled, and said, “I’ll be back sooner than you think, I swear I’ll explain every—“

“What are you doing?!” Came another voice. An angry, old voice Dipper knew all too well. Dipper had feared this would happen. God, had he hoped his Grunkle was not going to be home when he arrived.

“Grunkle Stan, I really need to go,” the brunet said, reaching over to grab the door’s handle, but his other arm was pulled back and he stumbled.

“You are _not_ crossing that door, young man,” Stan told him, anger clear in his face.

Dipper knew how much his Grunkle hated the royal family and anything that had to do with them. They had killed countless mages. Stan had been so unbelievably afraid they were going to do the same to Dipper, and that he was going to have to watch as the floor of the gallows opened and his nephew’s neck broke. If he himself didn’t also have a rope tied around his neck, of course.

“Stan,” Dipper said and his Grunkle’s eyes widened. It wasn’t common for him to call the other just by his name, “I _have_ to do this.”

“No, you don’t!” Stan replied immediately. He had been eavesdropping on Dipper’s conversation with his twin, and he thought it was a blessing that the Ciphers had been cursed. “This is your chance to get away, hands clean! And you will even end the Cipher’s regime!”

“I can’t just let him die!” Dipper exclaimed, shaking off Stan’s grip.

“That’s _murder_ you’re talking about, Grunkle Stan,” Mabel intervened.

“And?” Was Stan’s response, “His family has murdered countless of our kind, and when did they ever show mercy?”

“Everyone deserves a chance to be better—“

“Dipper, think about this! Surely, you know I’m right, he can’t have made you change your mind like that! Made you forget who you are and what you stand for!”

“I stand for justice and fairness!”

“Then end this now!” Stan exclaimed, using Dipper’s own argument as a weapon, “That is justice!”

Before Dipper could reply, the old man completed, “Plus, the prince is already dying anyway! You can end this for good!”

“I can’t do that!” Replied Dipper, his own anger showing. He was wasting valuable time. He had about twenty minutes left, without counting his ride back to the castle.

“Yes, you _can_!” Stan raised his voice even louder.

“Well, I don’t _want_ to!” Dipper yelled.

Silence filled the room. And Dipper didn’t know what was worse. Mabel’s terrified expression because of Dipper’s sudden shout and declaration, or Stan’s disbelief and disgust.

Probably Stan’s boiling hatred was worse.

“I’m sorry Grunkle Stan,” Dipper said in his normal voice, also attempting to make it softer than it actually was, “but if there’s even the smallest chance that I can help him, I will. I don’t think he’s who we thought he was.”

“You don’t _think_?” Stan repeated, hatred and mockery in his tone. If he hadn’t been so angry he probably would’ve even laughed. All Ciphers were the same. Terrible, selfish, egocentric, and self-centered bastards who saw everyone as tools; as pieces in their chessboard. The Ciphers were willing to risk anything and anyone if it meant they would be benefited. They didn’t care. They had never cared! Why would they start doing so now? The Ciphers hadn’t ever had the ability to care for someone other than themselves. And Dipper was falling right into their claws.

“Are you truly putting your life in hands of your _gut_?”

Dipper sighed. He understood why Stan was so worried and angry. Hell, he had all the right to be. If he were Stan and his nephew suddenly came home saying he was going to help the very family he had been taught to hate because of their atrocious acts of violence against their own kind… Dipper would’ve punched his nephew in the face, no doubt.

But Stan hadn’t seen what he had seen. He didn’t know what he knew.

And as much as he wanted to explain, he had no time to do it now.

“He’s manipulating you,” Stan spoke again, as he thought he had finally knocked some sense into Dipper, “Think about this, Dipper, please.”

“Grunkle Stan,” Dipper said, worry taking over his expression, “I appreciate that you’re worried, and I understand why you’re concerned,” he took a deep breath, then continued, “but I’ve already made my decision. I’m going back to the castle.”

Suddenly, he opened the door and rushed outside. Stan and Mabel followed, however this time, Stan didn’t attempt to yank Dipper back to the house.

His Grunkle spoke again as the younger mage untied the reins and hopped back onto the horse’s back, “Dipper, after you’ve done what he wants, _he’s going to get rid of you_.”

“No, I don’t think he will.”

And with that, Dipper took off. He only hoped he wasn’t too late.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can you imagine I didn't even get to write the scene I wanted to write for this chapter? I reached almost 3k again before I thought I would. Looks like I certainly got carried away as I wrote the Pines' interaction, holy crap. At least I know exactly what I want to happen on next chapter, right?
> 
> I hope that means I get to update sooner!! I'm really excited for this story, and it also makes me really happy to know how much you're enjoying this. So please, be sure to drop a comment!!! It really helps me keep my motivation up and creativity juices flowing. It can really be anything, I appreciate every single thing that you write.
> 
> Also, sorry this had such a small Dipper-Bill interaction, but I swear next chapter is going to completely make up for it. (wink) And well, in this chapter we learn more about Dipper's family's POV about this situation, and some revelations about how Dipper feels and that he actually does want to help the prince, it isn't just out of curiosity. And after that realization today, I don't think he'll be able to fool himself again.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and are still very hooked with the story. It will only get better!! Or should I say... worse? We'll see. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) Thank you everyone!!!


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